Exercise to get rid of tiredness

Tiredness and lack of energy are a major problem with many people. The causes are multiple: bad quality of sleep, stress, over work, bad nutrition and…no physical activity!

According to my experience, physical activity is critical to maintain and increase your energy level.
But here the problem some people have: if they feel tired, it’s very simple, they don’t exercise; they go to sleep, they go to watch the TV… And they continue to feel tired, with no energy, sometimes even exhausted!

If you feel tired too often, first exercise, exercise just a few minutes and do it everyday, even twice a day. You have to speed up your metabolism, you have to wake up your body and mind. Exercise will increase your blood flow and will bring more oxygen to your brain: you’ll feel more focus on your tasks.

Then watch the quality of your nutrition, increase food from natural sources: fruits, vegetables. Maybe supplement with vitamins and minerals, do not forget essential fatty acids (fish oil, flaxseed oil). Check your nutrition here and keep the balance.

Anyway, you have to identify the causes of your tiredness and take action: don’t treat the symptoms with medications!

Exercise: a 3 minutes solution, free e-book!

The two worst exercises for back pain

There are two very popular exercises almost everybody are doing in the gym:
bench press and leg extension!
If you experience some back pain, you should avoid these exercises; here the reasons:

- people tend to focus too much on these exercises: we know lying and sitting position are comfortable, but you’re going to create more muscle imbalances which pull joints and bones out of their normal alignment.

- Bench press is too often overused which leads to an overdevelopment of the chest and front deltoids; the lack of strength in the upper back will lead to a poor posture called “turtle back”: the shoulders are pulled forward, the upper back is rounded. This bad posture will create upper back and neck pain due to very tensed muscles, and shoulders problem (rotator cuff).

- Too much leg extensions create also an imbalance with the hamstrings: weak and tight hamstrings are often a cause for low back pain.

If you use these exercises, be sure to balance your program working the opposing muscles; if not, be prepared for problems!
Here an excellent resource I recommend to get rid of back pain: Get your free back pain relief guide.

Check also these workouts for a healthy back!

Stay on your feet!

Standing up is a natural position and is the main characteristic of the human being. But many people spend the majority of their time sitting (at work, in the car, at home) and lying (sleep).
If you have a limited time for a workout, the best bet is to target exercises you stay on your feet!

If you go for a walk or a run, great! But this is not always the case when you go to exercise in a gym: many machines and exercises are from sitting or lying position!
You are losing most of your time! Stand up and work all the muscular chains. Just choose some basic exercises like squats, lunges, step ups and build your workout around them.

Sure it is more difficult but you’ll burn more calories and will get in shape quicker. The legs have to be trained over and over, don’t be lazy! Do not forget that the legs become old first!

Another strong benefit in standing exercises is you work your core muscles to stabilize your spine.

Now I don’t mean to avoid all others exercises, but I strongly believe by experience that you should have your main exercises in the standing position. You’ll get a better workout, you’ll build up a more functional body, you’ll get more energy.

If you are limited in time, focus on standing exercises, it’s far more effective.
So do not forget for your next workout, stand up!

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A killer exercise for a tight waist

I use this exercise in all strength programs for fighters. It develops rotational strength and power: it means it’s a very functional exercise to improve power punching for boxers.

Of course I don’t think you’ll need to punch anybody (at least not too often!), but this exercise is one of the best for the waistline: you work your entire mid section, abdominal and obliques.

You need to use a strong resistance band; grab the band with both hands and rotate your torso using a full range of motion. The core has to be in control of the movement, not the arms. Be solid on your legs: if you use a strong resistance, you have to keep the balance. Use a slow tempo, breath out when you rotate and tense your abs and obliques.

This exercise is also very effective to develop the core stability, which is critical in all sports.
Get your band and develop a strong and tight waist like a boxer.

Get my free e-book and learn how to optimize your time with full body workouts.
Get additional information at Gladiator-Fitness.com.

Check your daily calorie and food needs

In order to lose or maintain weight we need to know our daily needs. I just checked my personal needs according to my age, my weight and activity level: 2400 calories.

Of course this is an average, I will need to adjust the amount I am eating according to unwanted weight gain or loss.
But there is not only the amount of calories: the balance between foods on a daily basis is crucial for health. Here my needs, plus 7 teaspoons of oil a day for fatty acids requirement.


Check yours by clicking here, it takes a few seconds and you’ll get a lot more nutritional info: MyPyramid Plan

You find here all the basics you need for a balanced nutrition. But if you are in a rush for getting results, you need a more precise plan: it’s not free but it can be a very light investment compared to your health and energy level. If you are an athlete or a busy entrepreneur it could be a very smart move to get it. You can check here: Precision Nutrition

In a hurry to lose fat?

Summer is approaching and it’s when most people start to asking themselves “now it’s time to do something about these pounds!”

Well said, but now what?
What is the solution to get rid of this stubborn fat as soon as possible?

First, be realistic: there are not magic pills, to get some weight off, you’ll need some time…and a strategy.
Second, and this is good news, if you follow the right plan, you could see positive results in just a few weeks.
The plan: a healthy diet and an exercise program, both will work together and this is the quickest way for losing a few pounds in a very short time.

Here a few tips:

Diet:

do not starve yourself, this is the worst thing to do because it shuts down your metabolism.
Cut your calorie intake, but not too much!
It's more important to eliminate all processed food, eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits, drink a lot of water, no sodas. Choose carefully your protein source: lean meat and fish. Get essential fatty acids with fish, avocadoes, nuts and almonds, olive oil.

Exercise:

don’t make the mistake to start with long workouts, you do not have the endurance yet and you ‘re going to exhaust yourself.
Choose short workouts, between 10 and 20 minutes, and focus about building intensity. Your workout has to be both muscular and cardio in the same time: get a routine with compound exercises and try to minimize progressively the resting time between sets.

Exercise as often as possible according your energy level: 3 workouts a week as many “experts” advice will not work! You need to enter a plan and exercise everyday, even twice a day… hard you may ask, but trust me, you’ll get quick results and your stamina and health will skyrocket.

Download for free my e-book, you’ll find a system based on 3 minutes rounds, like boxing, it’s progressive and easy to implement. Just take action!

Build a complete core like a gymnast

This exercise is not usual and it is terrific for building a core like a gymnast.
It could be too difficult for most people but you can challenge yourself and give it a try.

Lie on your back and raise slightly both upper body and legs: your entire body has to be in full muscular tension, tense hard your abs and push your low back against the floor. Hold the position for 5 seconds, take small breath in and out.

Then, roll sideway to put yourself on the stomach, do not touch the floor with the legs and upper body at anytime, keep your entire body under tension.
Hold again 5 seconds and get back to the starting position.

Do a few reps, as far as you can maintain a perfect body alignment. It is a complete core exercise I learned in gymnastics when I was a kid. You work especially your abs and low back, but all the muscles work in synergy!

Check these additional resources for abs workout and back workout.

Workouts for busy people: free ebook

These workouts are simple, they are short (you can do it in 3 minutes!), they are easy to remember, you need very little space and very few equipment (some routine use only your bodyweight), do it anywhere (at home, office, outdoor), anytime.

This system is going to bring you all the keys to optimize your time: these short workouts will drive you on the right tracks for great success. You can get the body and the energy you want without spending hours in the gym.

Subscribe and get your free ebook!

Build your low back

Many people have low back problem because they have a lack of strength and control in the lumbar muscles; these muscles have to work in synergy with the others muscles of the posterior chain.
Most machines are not effective to do that because the muscle works in isolation.

One of the best exercises I use is the reverse hyper on a stability ball:

Lie on the ball, put your hand on the floor and transfer progressively your bodyweight forward. Raise your legs as high as you can and keep control up and down: the tempo of the movement has to be slow. You’ll feel a great work in the low back muscles and buttocks. You’ll need to feel your stabilization with the stability ball, it means more deep muscles are activated.

Do a few sets of 5 to 8 reps, take 1 minute pause to recover and stretch.
Too many people forget to strengthen the low back; be aware that working only the abdominals is not enough, you have to work for the right muscular balance to get a strong and functional core.

More resources:
Healthy back workouts
Abdominal workouts

Visualization and focus

You probably know that visualization and focus are essential ingredients in the athlete mind.
As a former elite athlete I learned them by experience: sometimes everything was in a flow and the performance was the direct result; other times it was not so great, but we learn always from mistakes.

For an athlete, the capacity of targeted visualization and focus is a real power; when you have it you can achieve almost anything, at least you go all the way of your potential. If you don’t, you miss or you perform well under your full potential.

Over the years, many methods have been tested to improve visualization and focus. I personally used a lot the sophrology method; you are invited to completely relax, body and mind, then you start to visualize a precise situation or action; you see yourself performing at the top of your game, you are confident, nothing can stop you, you succeed. It works!

A few months ago I discovered a new technology using the brain waves. Stephen Pierce call it the Attraction Accelerator and explain that visualization and focus is the missing piece in the now famous Law of attraction.
This tool is a lot easier to use than sophrology, so I decided to give it a try!

Visualize with focus, then take action: is it the new magic formula to get what you want? Anyway you’ll get better and faster results if you work on it. Elite athletes do that!
Check out the Attraction Accelerator and increase your power of visualization and focus, I do it and feel the difference…

Energy restoration workout

When you get home after a long day of work, you probably feel exhausted and ready to relax. The main habit of 99% of people is to fall in the cough in front of the TV.
Don’t do that, not right away!

Here the strategy you need to apply to restore some energy into your being:
First go to the kitchen and pick up a fresh glass of water.
Second, go straight to a 3 minutes workout routine, use some deep breathing exercises.
After that, if you fell you are done, it’s ok. But these 3 minutes are going to get you back some good and positive energy. So profit of this new energy and proceed to a second routine of bodyweight calisthenics.

Get disciplined and do it: you’ll feel less stressed, you’ll get a positive mind, you’ll sleep better, and you’ll get more energy for the next day.
If you put this new habit in your daily life, the rewards could be great, and it takes only a few minutes! This natural "strategy" will fight tiredness and lack of energy, do it!

Bodyweight training: the revolution

Bodyweight training is the right solution for most people, either you are a beginner or a very fit athlete.
The benefits are obvious:
- Bodyweight exercises are very functional, the carryover in real life situations is very high.
- Basic exercises can be done by anybody with a very low risk of injury.
- You have many exercises, even for the fittest body: look at the gymnasts!
- It can be done anywhere, at home, outdoor…

There is a piece of equipment making a revolution in bodyweight training: you’ll improve your strength, stability and flexibility in the same time which is essential for overall fitness and whoever you are: a pro boxer or golfer, a fitness enthusiast, a busy business guy…

Like a gymnast, you’ll train in suspension, but do not worry: there are exercises for all levels of fitness, from physical therapy to high performance.

Check out for yourself, you’ll be amazed by all the possibilities: Bodyweight training.

Do you hit a plateau?

Reaching a plateau is a common problem with athletes because it means no improvement in performance anymore. Trainers have to find out the reasons and implement strategies to overcome this state.

For regular folks it’s very easy to get stuck and reach a plateau; then, the biggest problem is not to lose the motivation and make the effort to identify the problem.
Whatever your goals are, fat loss, muscle gain, general fitness, here a few reasons you may not progress anymore:

- You follow the same routines and program over and over again: the solution is change every 3 weeks some exercises and adjust your program according to present results and feelings.

- You train always at the same intensity: the solution, push harder every 2 days, do shorter workouts but more intense.

- Watch more your nutrition: be aware of the importance of the post workout meal.

- Change your schedule if you feel tired when you train, watch the quality and timing of the previous meal (important for energy).

- Is your recuperation good enough? The quality of sleep is critical.

If you feel you don’t progress despite of your efforts, do not do over and over the same stuff, change something: this is the key to overcome a plateau.

How to overcome a slow metabolism

Our body is a perfect machine to produce energy from food. This energy is produced through different pathways. One of them is what physiologists call β oxidation.

β oxidation is the only way to burn fat and we need oxygen. The β oxidation takes place inside very little “cells” called mitochondria inside the regular cells. The β oxidation is particularly important in muscular cells.
The more mitochondria we have the more our cells are efficient to burn fat, but their number can vary a lot: depends on our genetics and… training!

To be efficient in burning fat, you need more mitochondria. There are 2 ways to increase their number: increase them inside each celli and ncrease muscle mass.

You’ll need to follow a targeted exercise program to improve the capacity for aerobic activity in the muscle fibers.

The quickest solution is high intensity cardio conditioning along with full body exercises for strength. This is the way many athletes train and it is not taught in regular health and fitness clubs.
You have to learn how to train, and do not worry: you do not need to be a professional athlete, if you are just a beginner and just want to lose fat and get in shape, it’s for you.

Cardio conditioning doesn’t mean long and slow cardio, it’s mean interval training.
Interval training goes from power walking to high intensity sprints.

So if you just want to start and are unable to run, just walk fast for a specific duration (1 minute for example), then walk easy for 1 minute. Repeat a few times according to your energy level. You have to feel your heart rate going up then going down, breath deeply.
Complete with simple and total body exercise routines for a few minutes.

This strategy is the most effective solution to speed up your metabolism and make your body a burning fat machine.

Sure, it doesn’t happen in a few days, but you’ll feel your body in just a few days and probably see results in a few weeks… now it’s up to you.

Abs: crunch vs crunch

If you train your abs, you’re probably familiar with crunches: you lie on the floor and perform small raises of the upper body by contracting the abs.

The good thing with this exercise is it’s very easy for beginners and it’s safe.
But after a while you’ll need to do many and many reps to feel the work, it’s not effective anymore!

Except if you like to lose your time, here a smart alternative for crunches: do your crunches on a stability ball.
The movement is more effective because you work in a greater range of motion: the starting position is a stretch position, you stretch your abs and open the chest. Also, you get a stretch of the spine, especially the upper back which is excellent to decrease muscular tensions.

On a stability ball, you must maintain a balance: you work more muscles for the stabilization: deep muscles of the pelvis and the spine, obliques.
You teach your abs to work in synergy with other muscles which is more functional than regular crunches.

The crunch on the floor is over rated, there are many abs exercises more effective: the stability ball crunch is probably one of the best for its benefits (range of motion, stretch, muscular tension),
If you do floor crunches, my advice is to switch right away, you’ll be happy…

Fitness guru and information overload

The main goals everyone is talking about are burning fat and/or build muscle.
If you really want results, maybe you need to grab the latest program designed by a self claimed guru. Are they in possession of secrets nobody else knows?
No way!

The truth is the information has been designed in a perfect marketing format! And the big one is there is nothing new about these claims and programs; what it is new is the packaging of the information, that's it!

If your goal is to burn fat or build muscle, you’re going to find a lot of stuff, so check out who really is the expert, what he has done before, how long is his experience… Some programs will be good because they give you a precise road map but be careful with the information overload: it leads to inaction!
A lot of products come with a lot of “incredible” bonuses: why these bonuses don’t sell by themselves if they are so good! Or they are “special reports” trying to sell you something else!

Anyway, you have to know that burning fat or building muscle is quite simple! There are not really big secrets, there are only strategies and training. Some are right, others are bad. Just choose the right one.

In these 3 minutes workouts you can burn fat and build muscle in the same time. If you are a beginner, start with one round of 3 minutes, then build up progressively to 3, 4 or 5 rounds. If you follow the plan, you’ll see results in a few weeks. It’s simple and it works, and it’s perfect if you need to optimize your time.
I forgot…you can start for free and no need to pay anything later…just subscribe!

Want to be lean?

Statistics show more and more people become overweight, and there is worse: more and more children are now overweight!
What’s going on? It’s a major health problem.
Something has to be wrong!

Well, it’s very simple: people eat too much and do not exercise enough!
Many people eat the wrong kind of food: it’s not taught at school, so we have to educate ourselves and teach our kids.

Our body is a perfect machine made to move: pull, push, throw, jump, run, climb…What is the last time you jumped or climbed somewhere?
We move less and less! Our body and metabolism become lazy and we gain weight (fat)!

Here are a few solutions, choose and take action, or stay where you are!
- Hire a personal trainer
- Decide enough is enough, start exercise today! Do it at home
- Ask for the right information, do not believe everything in magazines
- Do not take “magic” pills to lose weight
- Take supplements only with a professional advice, or waste a lot of money!
These resources may help:
3 minutes workout solution for busy people
Nutritional strategy for losing fat
Workout pass

Lose weight without dieting

To be straight, dieting is the worst mistake you can make if you want to lose weight!

The simple reason is you cannot follow a strict diet for ever; you can lose some weight quickly but as soon as you stop the diet, your body will react like crazy and you’ll gain more weight than before.
Why: your metabolism adjusts its expenditure according to your calorie intake. If you cut your calories to 1000 cal, the metabolism will slow down to burn no more this amount of calories! You’ll lose weight only for a while and your metabolism will always adjust! You cannot control it, it’s in our genes and it’s about survival.

You need a well balanced nutrition: the right amount of proteins, the right fat, and yes, you need some carbs: if you cut the carbs, sure you are going to lose weight but there is a side effect, you lose energy. With a lack of energy you cannot be effective in your business, you cannot think properly, you cannot focus, you cannot exercise…Your entire being slow down…

If you need to lose fat, you have to adopt the right strategy: check out!

Stretch your hamstrings

How flexible are you?

When I observe my daughters playing I’m amazed about their natural flexibility (they are 4 and 2)! For sure, I’m going to take care they will keep it over the years.

A good flexibility is your insurance against muscle and joint pains when we grow older.
Most people have a terrible flexibility in the hamstrings, take this test:
Bend forward and touch your feet, keeping the legs straight. If you’re able to do that, you’re fine. But if you struggle and feel tight, you need to stretch your hamstrings.

Tight hamstrings are often responsible for low back pain; here is an exercise you can do. Just get a stability ball, which is a good investment for home: you can do many excellent exercises.

Lie on your back, hold the ball against the wall with your feet. Roll the ball while you straighten the legs: you‘ll feel the stretch behind your legs (hamstrings). Come back to the starting position and do a set of 8-12. As you’ll feel more comfortable, get a little closer to the wall: the stretch will be more intense, progress according to your feelings, do not rush!

Healthy Back Workouts - Online Training Resource
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Keep strength in your arms

In relation to the article written by Lyn, here are a few arms exercises you can easily implement for toning or getting strength.
Both women and men may benefit of these simple exercises.
We want the exercises to be effective so you need to put some resistance: get some bands and see the results quickly.

Tricep Pressdown

1) Secure door strap overhead at top of door.
2) Stand approximately 2-3 feet away from attachment point with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent . You may use a staggered stance for increased stability.
3) Start position: Grasp handles with shoulder width or medium overhand grip (palms down). Lower handles to chest level so that elbows are bent at 90°.
4) Keeping shoulders stabilized and elbows close to sides, extend arm and lower bar to hip level.
5) Return to start position.
6) Remember to keep back and head erect and in a neutral position. Stabilize shoulders by squeezing shoulder blades together slightly.

Tricep Bench Dip

1. Start by placing your hands on the bench and your feet are on the ground with your legs semi straight.
2. Proceed to bend your arms until they are bent to about 90 degrees.
3. Return to the starting position and repeat for the desired repetitions.

Seated Alt Band Curl on Bench


1. Start by sitting on a bench or chair with your band secured under your feet.
2. Curl one hand up with your palm up until it reaches shoulder height.
3. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other arm.
4. Alternate this movement back and forth until the repetitions have been completed.

Bicep Curl

1) Stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, and at a staggered stance.
2) Step onto middle of tubing with back foot or both feet.
3) Start position: Grasp handles with underhand grip (palms facing forward) with arms hanging down at sides. Elbows should be close to sides.
4) Flex at the elbows and curl handles up to approximately shoulder level. Keep elbows close to sides throughout movement.
5) Return to start position.
6) Remember to keep back and head straight in a neutral position throughout movement. Shoulders should be stabilized by squeezing shoulder blades together slightly - only the elbow joint should be moving.

Choose one triceps and one biceps exercise; do 2 to 4 sets of 8-12 reps, 3 to 4 times a week.